RPI Calculator 1.0

                           (C) Richard Smedley 1997


INTRODUCTION
------------

Have you ever wondered whether your wages, pension or any other form of
income is genuinely keeping up with the ever-increasing cost of living?

Or have you ever wondered about whether constantly increasing prices are
really justified?

This interesting little program will tell you how much a particular sum of
money from any year of this century would be worth in any other year. So,
for example, if you were to enter £100 in 1950, and ask it to tell you what
the equivalent of that would be in 1997, then the program would respond
with £1658 (which is worth the same now as what £100 was worth back in
1950!). Very useful!


INSTALLATION
------------

The program should be compatible with the Psion S3a, S3c and Sienna.

To install it, put the files in the following directories on the Psion:

    RPI.OPA  ->  \APP\
    UK.DBF   ->  \APP\RPI\

Now install it in the normal way by pressing Psion-I on the System screen.


USING THE PROGRAM
-----------------

When you start the program, a dialog will appear where you can enter the
amount, the start-year, and the end-year.

Here's an example of how to do calculations:

Suppose that in 1996 you were paying £68.50 per week in rent, and wanted to
check whether or not your rent has increased in line with the overall rate
of inflation.

To do this, you'd enter the following...

    Amount: 68.50
    From:   1996
    To:     1997

The program will then display the answer: £70.79

This means that if you're now paying more than £70.79 for your rent, then
you'll know that your rent has been put up by *more* than the current rate
of inflation. Likewise, if you're now paying less than £70.79 per week for
your rent, then you'll know that it has increased by *less* than the rate
of inflation.

You can perform similar calculations in the same way on things like, for
example, the price of a loaf of bread or a can of pop, or the amount that
you paid for your house compared with its current value, and so on. The
potential uses are almost infinite.


RETAIL PRICES INDEX
-------------------

The "Retail Prices Index" (or RPI for short) is an index that records
changes in the price of goods and services, which is often used as a
measure of inflation.

The details of the UK Retail Prices Index are contained in the supplied
UK.DBF database file, which can be edited or updated using the Psion's
in-built database application. This information has been compiled from a
variety of different sources and is mainly based on the figures for *July*
of each year, calculated using the standard measure of Jan 1987=100.0

If you've got teletext, then you can find the very latest figures for the
UK Retail Prices Index on BBC2 Ceefax page 276 (weekends only).

If you've got access to the required information, then you can create RPI
databases for other countries too. Just use the UK.DBF file as a template
for the new file, and enter the data using the Data app. If you then put
the new .DBF file in the APP\RPI directory, it will appear beneath the RPI
icon on the System screen allowing you to select which country you want to
use when using the program.


DISTRIBUTION
------------

This program is freeware, but remains copyright (C) Richard Smedley 1997.
It may be freely distributed for non-commercial purposes providing all the
original files remain fully intact and unmodified. Standard disclaimer
applies; you use this program at your own risk.


CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
---------------------

If anyone wants to contact me, then please feel free to write to me at this
address:

    Richard Smedley
    PO Box 59
    Sutton-In-Ashfield
    Notts
    NG17 3HP
    England

    rsmedley@cix.compulink.co.uk

Even though you've already got the full version of the program, if you want
to send me something in appreciation of the effort that went into compiling
the RPI data and writing the program, then any gifts etc would *definitely*
be appreciated! Five pound notes, postcards, old copies of Fiesta etc :-)
would all be very gratefully received...


VERSION HISTORY
---------------

V1.0 (02.08.97)

  - The first release.